The National Museum of China is designed to be one of the world’s largest museums and to be more enduring than the Olympic Games that China hosted in 2008. And yet it is not even ranked, according to Wikipedia, as one of the top 100 museums in the world.
The facade is impressive. This raised expectations.
When I first arrived at the Museum, I was greeted by a massive queue – entry is free – and there are 12 million inhabitants in the capital city. Unusually for China, the queue was orderly, in a neat line. Nearer the entrance, the queue split into two, one for the locals and the other for foreign passport holders. There were no signs in foreign languages, just an official announcing “passport” and gesticulating to the right. Then more queuing until an unsmiling official allowed batches of visitors to enter the ticket office where, on waving their passports to an official behind the counter, received an entry ticket. Patience exercised, visitors then entered a large screening area where all bags went through security screening in a chaotic fashion and then subjected to individual frisking before being reunited with their personal belongings.
Once past security, I looked in wonder at a massive atrium with a handful of statues, all of mediocre quality. There were no museum guides, just an A4 sign sitting on a counter, behind which sat yet more unsmiling officials. At that point it would be wise to have taken a snapshot of the sign to remind oneself of the exhibits on each floor of the north and south wing. Signage in the museum was minimal.
For me, three sections made an impression: the Jade Collection for its exquisite objects, the Ancient China collection occupying the entire basement area for its mammoth survey of thousands of years of history, and the area displaying gifts from foreign diplomats to the Chinese leaders for its mixture of fine craftsmanship and kitsch.
By far the least impressive exhibition was the massive hall on the ground floor given to all things Mao – statues, paintings, his calligraphy, all designed to elevate him to the status of supreme national hero. The sign at the entrance said as much - Mao Zedong The Giant. This is where politics dominated the story line of the entire museum.
China has an ancient history dated back to 2000 BC, and I was expecting a rich seam of cultural artifacts at this capital city museum. I was disappointed. The curators seem to have trouble filling the vast galleries with the variety and quality of exhibits characteristic of a world-class museum. Until this is done, and until the museum comes up with a narrative of Chinese history including the turbulent years of the Cultural Revolution when a lot of precious Chinese artifacts were destroyed, the National Museum is likely to languish outside the Top 100 museums in the world.
On leaving the museum, I had a glimpse of one of the iconic images of Beijing - Tienanmen Square with its gigantic portrait of Chairman Mao.
The facade is impressive. This raised expectations.
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| National Museum of China, Beijing |
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| Queuing for the National Museum of China, Beijing, January 2014 |
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| Massive columns greeting visitors at the National Museum of China, Beijing |
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| The massive atrium, National Museum of China. Cleaners were on hand to maintain the shine on the marble floor. |
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| An exquisite jade object |
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| A sword presented by the Yassar Arafat, a symbolic gesture from the late Palestinian leader |
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| Terracotta figures of women playing polo, Tang Dynasty (618 - 907 AD) Until I saw these figures, I was not aware that polo was played in ancient China, let alone by women. |
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| Brick with dragon design from the Kaibo Temple Pagoda, Northern Song Dynasty 960 to 1127 AD |
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| The Exhibition Hall devoted to one man. The centre display cabinets contain numerous calligraphy pieces by Mao Zedong. |
On leaving the museum, I had a glimpse of one of the iconic images of Beijing - Tienanmen Square with its gigantic portrait of Chairman Mao.
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| Tienanmen Square seen from National Museum of China, Beijing |
